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Comment by tomcar288 | Hacker News Reader

i don't understand the hate towards ad tech that learns about you. the alternative is ads that are completely irrelevant to you, ads that treat you like some anonymous user in which case you'll get endlessly irrelevant ads for mainstream stuff like ICE cars, plastic garbage, big screen tvs, fast food, etc.

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Surely you can think of some more alternatives.

I find the mainstream ads far more offensive than the ones that are accurately targeted towards me.

Hint: the alternatives don't involve ads.

YouTube has a paid option and even here on HN, the mecca of anti-ad sentiment, people openly admit to using ad blockers there instead even though that means the creators they're watching do not get paid.

Hint: People are cheap. They want free stuff, not paid alternatives.

I agree it's challenging, but that doesn't stop me wishing for a world where stalking everybody on the planet, publishing outrage-bait, and spreading conspiracy theories is not a massively profitable business.

If the alternatives had broader appeal, they would be more popular. However at this juncture, they don't. Ads mean free stuff. Ad blockers mean better free stuff. Academic arguments about externalities will be brushed away because "free stuff".

What you're looking for is a regulatory solution. E.g. people will not individually choose a lower carbon lifestyle in sufficient numbers to reverse/slow climate change. You need to actively discourage it by policy.

> the alternative is ads that are completely irrelevant to you, ads that treat you like some anonymous user in which case you'll get endlessly irrelevant ads for mainstream stuff like ICE cars, plastic garbage, big screen tvs, fast food, etc

Genuinely curious: Do you feel that adverts you recieve are well tailored towards things you want to buy? Literally all of things you listed are regularly advertised to me by google on youtube & adwords, including car parts and tyres (I dont have a car), things for babies and young children (I dont have children), even fast food services that are not available in my country. Google also consistently and regularly serves me content in languages it knows I do not speak, and then google chrome helpfully offers to translate them

That happens to me all the time. The vast majority 99%+ of the stuff that is advertised to me misses the mark completely. It's stuff I don't want or need. they give me ads for newbie programming after I've been a SE for 20+ years -> that's especially ridiculous since i use gmail all the time. I can only imagine that none of information they have on me can be used in any way shape or form.

I just figured if they knew me better perhaps and were able to use that information, just maybe they could offer me something I might actually be interested in.

I'd rather have the irrelevant ads. Believe it or not, I just ignore them anyway. So being tracked only has downsides in this case.

The alternative sounds great. It's not like all advertising is targeted now, anyway.

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